Evolution and Genetics

Revolutions in technology for reading the genetic sequence of organisms are driving the availability of huge volumes of genetic data from important viral and bacterial pathogens. An important research priority for the MRC Centre is the development and application of methods that exploit this data to reconstruct epidemics and disease outbreaks. Centre staff also work on understanding and modelling pathogen evolution, and the public health consequences of such evolutionary change (for instance, the evolution of drug resistance).

During the 2009 pandemic of swine-origin H1N1 influenza, Centre staff were able to utilise both epidemiological and population genetic methods to rapidly and accurately assess the potential for spread of this novel pathogen, and staff will drive further efforts to increase integration of epidemiological and population genetic methods in the future.

Centre activities in this area benefit and overlap strongly with the internationally renown bacterial genetics research group in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, and other genetics groups in the School of Public Health.

Centre Principal Investigators leading this area are Professor Christophe Fraser with interests in the evolutionary epidemiology of common viral and bacterial pathogens, Professor Neil Ferguson with interests in influenza epidemiology and antigenic evolution and the evolutionary dynamics of emerging infectious diseases, and Dr François Balloux with interests in population genetics and genetic epidemiology.